Thank you @LeonidS, that sounds like a fair solution!

So, just to clarify, if I want to make an unpublished change:

1. Create a subfolder, and copy all files there
2. Go to www . xxx . com / subfolder / studio and do changes there
3. See the effect of the changes on www . xxx . com / subfolder
4. If I am happy with those changes and want to roll out an update, copy and overwrite all files from subfolder to main folder.
5. Delete subfolder.

Is that correct? If yes, I still have some questions:

• Would all the encryptions, una keys etc work in the subfolder? I assume new app installations would not work.
• Are there any changes that affect the database and not the code? If yes, I assume those would go live immediately.

Thanks for your help!!